Posted in: Comics, Heritage Sponsored, Vintage Paper | Tagged: Crime Does Not Pay, heritage auctions, Lev Grossman

A Notorious Charles Biro Cover on Crime Does Not Pay #43, at Auction

Perhaps the most notorious comic book title of all time, Crime Does Not Pay featured some wild covers by Charles Biro and others.

Published Wed, 21 Jun 2023 17:02:14 -0500

by Jeremy Konrad

Last updated Thu, 22 Jun 2023 14:36:40 -0500

Comments

Crime Does Not Pay is one of the most infamous comics from the golden age. Looking for violent content and stuff that would get you in trouble if your parents saw you reading it? This was the book for you. Published by Lev Gleason starting in the 1940s, this is THE crime comic. This is the one that really started it all and one that was used as an example to create The Comics Code. This cover, issue #43, taking bids at Heritage Auctions today, features a husband coming back to his wife in…let's just say, bad shape. Man, this series had the coolest covers. Check it out below.

Crime Does Not Pay, But You Will At Heritage Auctions — Credit Heritage Auctions

Crime Does Not Pay Is A Fun Book To Hunt For

"Cover by Charles Biro. Stories and art by Robert Bernstein, Jack Alderman, Rudy Palais, Woody Hamlton, Vernon Henkel, and Charles Biro. The title that launched the crime comics genre, Crime Does Not Pay, was noted for its violent pre-Code content and lurid tales of underworld life. An unhinged circus clown spurned by a woman after making a declaration of love (in full clown regalia), then murders her (still in full clown regalia). The infamous Burke and Hare get jobs providing corpses to early medical schools, but when they run out of bodies, they start making fresh ones. Drunken med-school reject "Doc" Moran becomes the underworld's favorite physician. Also featuring a vintage PSA about recognizing honorably discharged veterans. The Bookkeeping Bandit; Case of the Love Sick Clown; Ghouls' Gold; The Folly of Johnny Bananas; The Case of the Impossible Suicide; Doctor of Evil; Whodunnit. 48 pages, Full Color. Cover price $0.10."

I have always enjoyed the covers of this series. The stories have also been good reads, but the covers are so iconic and fun for the era. If you want to bid on this issue, go here. Check out all of the other books in this auction while you are there as well.